An extraordinary tale that starts with a home kitchen recipe and ends with the multi-million-dollar sale of a world-famous liquor company – and everything in between

In Tastes Like Money, veteran liquor industry leader and founder of RumChata – the clever kitchen experiment that became a global phenomena – Tom Maas, delivers a first-hand story that exposes the behind-the-scenes battles, trademark wars, crises, and triumphs that built a world-famous product.

The book begins with the day Maas was unceremoniously and unexpectedly dismissed from his role as Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Jim Beam at age 49. From there, the author details the ups and downs of what would turn out to be his true calling: the creation of a drink called RumChata. Tastes Like Money draws generalizable lessons from Maas’ wild ride: about passionate selling, brand protection, and the critical importance of never compromising on quality or cutting corners just to make a quick buck.

In the book, you’ll also find:

• Specific strategies for building distributor relationships without the benefit of a huge corporate war chest

• How to compete against industry titans when you’ve got a target on your back

• A detailed, unvarnished memoir of from-scratch ingenuity from an entrepreneur who pulled out all the stops in the pursuit of his dream

Perfect for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking inspiration and guidance as they navigate their own business journeys, Tastes Like Money is a gripping and instructive story about ambition, resilience – and a little bit of luck. It’s a must-read for everyone interested in how a global brand got built from scratch and what it took to make it happen.

About the Author

Tom Maas's career in the distilled spirits industry dates back to when he was a young man traveling with his father, a world-renowned distilling engineer, who built and worked on distilleries in eight different countries around the world. It was as an 11-year-old that Maas helped make his first batch of whiskey while visiting one of the distilleries his father was constructing in Canada. That moment sparked in him a longing to work in the magical business of distilled spirits.

With close to 50 years in the industry, Maas developed his brand formulation and sales management expertise while working on three of the top selling whiskey brands in the world: Jack Daniel's, Canadian Club, and Jim Beam.

Following an abrupt firing from his last corporate role at Jim Beam, Maas used a lifetime of learning to create one of the top liqueurs in the world, the award winning RumChata. Since its introduction to the market in 2009, RumChata has seen unprecedented consumer acceptance and accolades that have led to retail sales of over two and a half billion dollars, an incredible achievement from a small startup. In 2021, the brand was sold to the E&J Gallo Winery.

Maas is a 1978 graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Business, and in 1980, while working for the Jack Daniel Distillery, he received his MBA from DePaul University. He is the chairman of Dancing Goat, a craft distillery in Cambridge, Wisconsin, that was created with his youngest son, Nick, to honor his father’s legacy of distilling. He currently resides in Illinois, with his wife and business partner, Susan.